If you notice that display racks this holiday season are nicely scented, it’s not just shops are tidier at year’s end. Scents like citrus and floral can make you linger and stay alert in the shop to buy more. Marketers believe scents do sell, with an increasing number of scientific studies backing such claims, that the whole act spawned a new marketing sub-industry: scent marketing. It reminds us of germ warfare, an unseen weaponry that has your wallet in the crosshairs.
Real estate agents are already deploying this trick to unsuspecting buyers; the smell of freshly baked goods is said to encourage prospects to buy property during ocular visits. Similarly, talcum powder makes you feel nostalgic and, perhaps, want to buy that cushioned reading chair you don’t need.
The use of scent is just one of four sensory marketing tricks being used on us by shops eager for more sales. Collated in the new infographic below you can find a number of scientific studies that indicate what we see, hear or touch affect our buying decisions. You’ll be surprised at some of the seemingly unrelated factors that have a profound effect on your shopping. In one experiment published in the Harvard Business Review, participants were found to be a harder bargainer when sitting on a hard chair.
Likewise, you may already know that colors have meanings. For instance, sale signs are in red (urgency) and many insurance logos are in blue (trust). You’ll also get an idea how a number of your favorite shops, such as Bloomingdale’s, Apple Store, and Nike Town, lure you by playing tricks on your senses. Do you know why Apple Store leaves its notebook display half-open, or why you suddenly crave for a tropical vacation while inside Bloomingdale’s?
[4]Made available by: alternativesfinder.com [5] Author: Kate Stephens [6]
